The Heldannic Order - Vaults of Pandius

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Credits: Design: JTR and Colin Wilson Honorary Lead Design: Bruce Heard Editing: JTR Content Contributors: John Hare, John Ruhland, Jeff Daley, Geoff Gander, Sune Kloppenborg Jeppesen, Yellowdingo Cover Illustrator: JTR Interior Artist: Rafael Ramos Santos Cartography: JTR, Geoff Gander Typography: JTR © 2007 JTR Unofficial Game Accessory The Heldannic Order JTR, Colin Wilson, and Honorary Lead Designer Bruce Heard Referee’s Manual Introduction........................................................................................................................2 History as the Immortals Know It....................................................................................3 Geography ..........................................................................................................................9 The City of Freiburg........................................................................................................14 The Peoples and Fauna of the Territories .....................................................................16 The Heldannic Order.......................................................................................................20 Secrets of the Warbirds...................................................................................................24 The Star of Vanya ............................................................................................................29 The Secret Societies..........................................................................................................31 Personalities......................................................................................................................33 Adventures........................................................................................................................38 Player’s Manual Heldannic Teachings and the Sagas .................................................................................1 Society .................................................................................................................................3 Joining the Heldannic Order ............................................................................................7 Creating Heldannic Characters......................................................................................13 Clerics, Experten, and Champions of Vanya ................................................................16 A Heldannic Glossary......................................................................................................19 What People Say About the Heldannic Order ..............................................................20 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and D&D are registered trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. This book is a work of fan contributions and does not possess official recognition by Wizards of the Coast. The editor and contributors make no representations to imply otherwise. This work may not be sold commercially in the United States of America or abroad. It may be electronically replicated (“downloaded”) in its entirety for personal use. The contributors retain copyright to their individual contributions with a fair-use understanding of citation in subsequent works. The artist and cartographer retain all rights to their works as typically construed for art. The editor retains all rights to the product “The Heldannic Order.”
INTRODUCTION Foreword and an Historic Overview of Heldann Welcome to the Heldannic Territories, home of the Glorious Order of Vanya! This gazetteer is the seventh in the Gaz F series of fan-created gazetteers. It was written using information pulled from the Mystara Message Boards and the Vaults of Pandius, as well as some new concepts by the lead designers. The area formerly known as the Heldann Freeholds appeared on the earliest maps of the Known World – courtesy of X1 The Isle of Dread by Monte Cook and Tom Moldvay – but it always remained just outside the focus of products released under the BECMI line. Possible military units were given brief War Machine statistics in X10 Red Arrow/Black Shield (Michael S. Dobson), and the southern Freeholds served as an adventure location for the Vestlandoriented X13 Crown of Ancient Glory (Stephen Bourne). Bourne’s previous work, X11 Saga of the Shadow Lord, also provided topographic information. Finally, Gaz12 The Golden Khan of Ethengar (Jim Bambra) informed us of the long running conflicts between the Ethengar and the Heldanners. Despite all this, little more was known about Heldann beyond its original Icelandic inspiration. Then in 1990 Bruce Heard’s “The Voyage of the Princess Ark” appeared in Dragon, and the Heldannic Knights were born. Instead of a land of herders and fishermen, the Heldanners – or rather foreign Knights appropriating the name – ruled a powerful, far-flung empire that kept its true nature secret as it prepared for conquest. The Heldannic Knights’ star continued to rise during the Wrath of the Immortals (Aaron Allston) and the subsequent Almanacs. The demise of the Mystara product line scuttled any hope of an official gazetteer detailing the Heldannic Knights and their customs, yet all was not lost. Over the following years, Bruce Heard posted a sizeable amount of information on the Mystaran Message List and Board – so much information that it more than filled a standard gazetteer. Other members of the Mystaran community also contributed their ideas as time passed on. This then was the genesis that led to the product you now hold. The Freeholds Until fifty years ago, these lands were known as the Heldann Freeholds, a nearanarchic land whose families resembled the early settlers of Iceland in the realworld. Spirits, dragon-like creatures, trolls, southern horsemen and sea-borne raiders made life difficult for this semibarbarous people. The cold land was no ally, and the Heldanners eked out their lives in desperate isolation. The Knights Fifty years ago, Knights from the land of Hattias took the Freeholds by force, claiming it as a promised land from their patron, Vanya. Conflicts with the natives have flared in times past and present, but the Knights have held their Territories firmly. The Heldannic Knights are inspired by several orders that arose in Europe and the Middle East as a consequence of the Crusades. The Knights Templar began as guards for pilgrims to the Holy Land. Over time they became the most powerful banking system in the medieval world, only to be destroyed throughout Europe on a single day (Black Sunday) by agents of the Roman Catholic Church and various courts. The fictional legacy of the Knights Templar continues today in novels, film, and video games, particularly where they intersect the freemasons and other extra-religious organizations. The Hospitalers also cared for pilgrimages in Palestine, establishing numerous resting sanctuaries. They cared for the sick and wounded. Finally, the Teutonic Knights were originally a religious and military order founded in the Middle East that soon became a political institution controlling much of modern Germany and Poland. They maintained their ecclesiastical state for some time, before finally releasing the territory to national powers. The Teutonic Knights still exist today as a charitable organization within the Roman Catholic Church. 2 Campaigning in the Territories Heldannic campaigns can vary wildly depending upon the thematic emphasis. Opportunities for monster-bashing abound in almost all regions of Heldann. They are not as strong for traditional treasure quests, but characters could always try to uncover the secrets of the Order. Geopolitical campaigns can range from the traditional Ethengar-Heldanner conflict, to Glantri’s persecution of clerics, to clashes with the Alphatian or Thyatian Empires or their proxies such as Norwold. For more wide-ranging affairs, characters attached to the Order can travel the globe and beyond seeking new allies and new lands to conquer. Mythic campaigns center on the fusion of Vanya with the pre-existing Northman faith of the Freeholds and ancient terrors. Finally, campaigns of faith and mercy go straight to the paradox of the Knights. Are they a force for good or for evil? Order or instability? There is a battle within the Order that outstrips anything on the field of war – a battle for the soul of the Knights themselves. Will characters feel the plight of the native Heldanners? Will they be seduced by the lures of plunder and conquest? Three powers struggle to control the Order and set its destiny: the Immortal who created them, the allure of death and destruction, and finally an exotic artifact whose plans might prove even more dangerous. Kudos and Corrections First and foremost, the lead designers wish to thank Bruce Heard. By dint of his numerous postings and articles, Bruce “wrote” the gazetteer prototype. It has been modified to fit within the Gaz F version of Mystara, but I believe we have retained the spirit of his work. In recognition of his substantial contribution, Bruce has been listed as Honorary Lead Designer. The 1004 AC Wrath 24mph map was assumed to be principally correct, subject to 8mph maps for surrounding regions. The Territories’ border has been dropped down to the Altenwald, allowing for character participation in any conquests.
Page 4 and 5: HISTORY AS THE IMMORTALS KNOW IT Th
Page 6 and 7: HISTORY AS THE IMMORTALS KNOW IT in
Page 8 and 9: HISTORY AS THE IMMORTALS KNOW IT Ha
Page 10 and 11: GEOGRAPHY The Land The Heldannic Te
Page 12 and 13: GEOGRAPHY has been a problem source
Page 14 and 15: GEOGRAPHY Eikervik (200) is the hom
Page 16 and 17: THE CITY OF FREIBURG The Foreign Di
Page 18 and 19: THE PEOPLES AND FAUNA OF THE TERRIT
Page 20 and 21: THE PEOPLES AND FAUNA OF THE TERRIT
Page 22 and 23: THE HELDANNIC ORDER “Never do the
Page 24 and 25: THE HELDANNIC ORDER Fleet Command B
Page 26 and 27: SECRETS OF THE WARBIRDS Adler Waffe
Page 28 and 29: SECRETS OF THE WARBIRDS disappeared
Page 30 and 31: THE STAR OF VANYA The Star of Vanya
Page 32 and 33: THE SECRET SOCIETIES “Rule them.
Page 34 and 35: PERSONALITIES The Leadership Wulf v
Page 36 and 37: PERSONALITIES hatred for Ethengaria
Page 38 and 39: PERSONALITIES Erik Helsing: MU18, D
Page 40 and 41: ADVENTURES port of Althaven. Rumors
Page 42 and 43: ADVENTURES The Chaos War (33-36) Th
Page 44 and 45: ADVENTURES Rakastan Conflict: Skirm
Page 46 and 47: HELDANNIC TEACHINGS AND THE SAGAS
Page 48 and 49: SOCIETY “Judge not from appearanc
Page 50 and 51: SOCIETY Both Non-Members: When an i
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JOINING THE HELDANNIC ORDER “If y
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JOINING THE HELDANNIC ORDER the Gra
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JOINING THE HELDANNIC ORDER The Ame
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CREATING HELDANNIC CHARACTERS "Be c
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CLERICS, EXPERTEN, AND CHAMPIONS OF
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CLERICS, EXPERTEN, AND CHAMPIONS OF
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A HELDANNIC GLOSSARY "Glory lies un
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VAULTS OF PANDIUS The Heldannic Ord
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The Heldannic Order - Vaults of Pandius

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